'Father of Litson Manok' shares success story

by Jon Carlos Rodriguez, ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA, Philippines – The man who is now dubbed as the “Father of Litson Manok” had his share of disappointments when he first started out.

But if Leonardo “Sandy” Javier Jr., the owner and CEO of Andok’s Corporation, allowed disappointments to overcome his passion, there wouldn’t be 300 Andok’s stores across the country today.

Javier was at the forefront when the “litson manok” (roasted chicken) craze in the Philippines began more than 20 years ago.

Back then, Javier said he did not have the capital to start a business and he was forced to borrow 12 chickens from his mother’s friend to sell.

As luck would have it, Javier only sold two chickens.

However, the aspiring entrepreneur did not stop there.

Set your target

Unlike other entrepreneurs who had the capital to put up their own business, Javier struggled financially to jumpstart his litson manok stall.

But this struggle, Javier shared, is what inspired him to strive harder.

“Ang sikreto talaga diyan ay kung saan ka nanggaling, sa kahirapan. You have to get out of the difficulty in life kaya kailangan you have to set your target. Kailangan labanan mo ‘yung kahirapan,” he told dzMM on Thursday.

Find your passion

Javier said he experimented with the ingredients to capture what we know today as the trademark Andok’s taste.

From the 12 chickens he started with, Javier’s small stall along West Avenue in Quezon City boosted its daily inventory to 80 chickens.